


Growing Affections

by LadyDisdayne



Series: QuiObi AUs [7]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Flower Language, Fluff, Jinnobi Challenge 2020, M/M, Meet-Cute, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:08:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27011767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyDisdayne/pseuds/LadyDisdayne
Summary: Qui-Gon never expected to meet someone like Obi-Wan at his flower shop. If only Obi-Wan wasn’t still in love with his ex, who sent Obi-Wan to Qui-Gon's shop to buy their wedding flowers in the first place.
Relationships: Qui-Gon Jinn/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Series: QuiObi AUs [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2110623
Comments: 28
Kudos: 95





	Growing Affections

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I know this has been done a thousand times. Yes, I am writing a, very different, flower shop au with the wonderful Temve right now. Yes, this is unbetaed and sappy and silly. No, I’m not sorry about it.  
> This is heavily inspired by [THIS](https://heartstoppercomic.tumblr.com/post/168075325319/mini-comic-flower-shop-a-little-story-set-in-an) cute comic and convos in the QuiObi server. It also fills the October prompts of Hauntober’s “Spider” and Flufftober’s “Possibilities” but I am not really keeping track of those…  
> Thank you cat and Tess for the title and a massive thank you to Pom.

It was a slow day at Luminaria the first time Obi-Wan stumbled in, his bright blue eyes rimmed in tearful red as he anxiously glanced around Qui-Gon’s flower and tea shop.

“Good morning!” Qui-Gon greeted cheerfully from behind the counter.

“Hello there.” The other man attempted to smile in return, but it quickly returned to the deep-set frown before he started glancing around again, obviously trying to hold back tears.

“Hey, are you okay?” Qui-Gon asked, stepping around the counter into the lobby proper.

“I’m fine.” The other man’s voice was shaking as he whispered, hunching in on himself. Qui-Gon wasn’t sure if he was telling himself or Qui-Gon. 

Qui-Gon hummed, “Well, why don’t you join me for some tea, and you can tell me what you are looking for?”

The shop was mostly flowers, but Qui-Gon’s deep passion for tea had crept into the space over the years and he now had a fully functioning tea bar attached. He took the customer to his favorite booth, tucked away behind some towering ferns and retrieved a pot of his own relaxation blend.

“Here you go.” Qui-Gon handed him a mug before sitting across the table and pouring them both a cup. “I’m Qui-Gon by the way. What brings you into my little store this morning?”

The other man stared into the mug, his eyes filling with tears. “Obi-Wan. I need some flowers for a cake table. For a wedding. Today.”

Qui-Gon frowned. It wasn’t a common request, such arrangements would normally be something that would be planned as part of a bridal package, so it fit the couple’s vision and timeline.

“I think I can put something together for you. Can you tell me more about it?”

Obi-Wan sank further into himself, “So… It’s for my ex-boyfriend’s wedding today. And at the very last minute this morning he called me and is like ‘You’re the most dependable person I know. Would you pick up some flowers for our cake table on the way here?’ And of course, I said yes. Because what else am I supposed to say? He’s marrying one of my best friends and I still  _ care  _ about them. I’ve known them both for years and it’s not like I can be a jerk because they fell in love long after we broke up.”

Obi-Wan took a shuddering breath, “Sorry. I shouldn’t be dumping all of this on you.”

Qui-Gon rested a hand on Obi-Wan’s. “There is nothing to apologize for. Sounds like he is a real ass.”

Obi-Wan snorted out a small laugh. “Yeah, he kind of is.”

A sudden idea came to Qui-Gon, “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

Qui-Gon rushed through the shop, selecting flowers and ribbons that he arranged into a neat bouquet, perfect for a cake table.

“Here, take these. On the house. Geraniums symbolize ‘stupidity,’ basil for ‘hatred,’ and a bit of meadowsweet for ‘uselessness.’” Obi-Wan grinned as Qui-Gon continued, “Essentially, they mean fuck you’ in the nicest way possible. What kind of ass asks their ex, no matter how close you stayed, flowers on their wedding day!?”

Obi-Wan laughed, his smile beautiful even through his tears “Why are you so nice?”

“Because no one deserves to be treated like that.” Qui-Gon wrapped the vase and flowers and set Obi-Wan on his way.

Three days later, Qui-Gon couldn’t stop thinking about Obi-Wan’s bright smile and tearful gaze. He hoped that the young man had been alright at the rest of the wedding.

“Really who does that to their ex?! Even if they stayed on friendly terms!? You should have seen his face when I gave him the bouquet…” Qui-Gon twisted the flower crown he was demonstrating into shape. The class this week was small, just a few of his regulars and a young couple on a date night.

“Yes, yes, I know. You’ve told us. His smile lit up the entire shop. Too bad you were too much of a wuss to ask him for his number.” Ahsoka snickered.

“Ahsoka! I can’t just ask for a customer’s phone number. It’s weird.”

“But you  _ can  _ hold his hand and give him $100 in free flowers and tea.” Tahl, his business partner, teased.

“That’s different Tahl! He needed it.” Tahl just grinned and returned to her own crown.

The door chimed and Qui-Gon looked up, expecting a late comer to the class. Instead, Obi-Wan’s smile greeted him.

“Obi-Wan! It’s good to see you again.” Qui-Gon couldn’t help the shy excitement that crept into his voice.

“Qui-Gon!” Obi-Wan glanced at the class and frowned, “Oh, I’m sorry. I just wanted to say thank you. I didn’t realize you were in the middle of a class.”

“That’s quite all right. Why don’t you join us?”

“I couldn’t possibly interrupt.”

“Nonsense! In fact, I insist.” Qui-Gon took Obi-Wan’s hand in his, leading him to the overflowing table of flowers. “Now, let’s see here. Some chamomile flowers should suit you quite well, and some blue forget-me-nots to highlight your eyes. We might as well add some carnations for color.” Qui-Gon gathered a few vines to tie everything together, sitting Obi-Wan between himself and Tahl, who giggled at the crown Qui-Gon was building.

Qui-Gon glared at her. It wasn’t as if Obi-Wan would know the arrangement held a deeper meaning, the perfect way to hide his interest in his own way.

They spent the evening laughing and chatting with the rest of the class, Obi-Wan slipping easily into the familiar group. He seemed happier, lighter than he had before the wedding and relief filled Qui-Gon’s chest.

The finished crown was stunning, the blues and pinks highlighting Obi-Wan’s bright eyes and copper hair. If Qui-Gon had been a bolder man, the night might have ended differently than a wave goodbye and lonely dwellings on lost possibilities.

Qui-Gon did not expect to see Obi-Wan again and expressed as much to Tahl days later as they built arrangement after arrangement for a large wedding.

She looked at the window, giggling as a shadow crossed the door. “Oh, you may just be surprised Qui-Gon.”

The door chimed and Obi-Wan’s voice filled the lobby. “Hello?”

Qui-Gon hurried to the front, returning the greeting. Obi-Wan beamed, “Qui-Gon! I was hoping you could help me. I need flowers to send to one of my clients.”

“What’s the occasion?” Qui-Gon’s heart sank a bit, sad that Obi-Wan’s visit was business related.

“We just won his case!” Obi-Wan’s grin grew impossibly larger. “He runs a local produce business and one of the massive grocery chains was trying to sue him for operating within a mile of one of their stores.”

“That doesn’t seem legal.”

“It’s really not, but companies like that have enough money behind them that they get away with it.”

Their conversation meandered while Qui-Gon built a large celebratory bouquet. Obi-Wan told him about the next few cases he was working on, while Qui-Gon told him of each flower’s meaning. The resulting arrangement ended up being much larger than normal, as Qui-Gon found himself reluctant to let their conversation end.

“Thank you, Qui-Gon! It’s beautiful!” Obi-Wan tried to wave as he lifted the towering arrangement. “I’ll see you in a couple days!”

Qui-Gon’s heart leapt in anticipation. “Good luck on your court appearance, Obi-Wan! I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

Obi-Wan came back two days later, coffee for two in his hands, just to tell Qui-Gon how the appearance went. At the end of the evening, Qui-Gon slipped a single yellow rose into Obi-Wan’s breast pocket at the good news.

“A little celebration of your own.” Qui-Gon explained, Obi-Wan’s eyes bright at the explanation.

And then Obi-Wan kept coming back, again and again.

Soon, Obi-Wan had been coming to the shop for weeks, sometimes not even for flowers or a cup of tea. And each time, Qui-Gon found himself giving Obi-Wan small gifts, a small satchel of home blended tea, leftover red roses, trimmed to fit in a buttonhole and other small things declaring his growing feelings, but where easily explained away by someone with an untrained eye. As the weeks stretched by, Qui-Gon’s heart grew fuller and fuller of Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan had taken to joining Qui-Gon behind the counter, running a hand across the various buckets and displays of ribbons and flowers as they discussed everything from books and politics, to tea and poetry.

During one such visit, Qui-Gon was working on a grave blanket when Obi-Wan cried out, shaking his hand and sliding away from the bucket of roses he had been admiring.

“What’s wrong?” Qui-Gon asked, worried he had pricked himself on one of the sharp thorns.

“Um, well.” Obi-Wan mumbled, gesturing at one of the roses. Qui-Gon joined him, looking down to find a small spider resting on the leaves.

Qui-Gon laughed, “I see you are making friends. Don’t worry, garden spiders like this one don’t bite.” He held out a finger, letting the small garden spider crawl onto his hand. “Let’s take him to the back garden, shall we? Why don’t you grab our tea and join me outside?”

The back garden was small, filled with Qui-Gon’s personal herbs and vegetable patch. He set the small spider down on the tomato plants, where it would be free to eat the small bugs that liked to attack his produce.

“Sorry, spiders normally don’t scare me, but I didn’t expect one to be in your roses.”

Qui-Gon chuckled, “It happens all of the time. I’ve gotten pretty used to it over the years. I’m just glad it wasn’t an aggressive one.”

“As am I.” Obi-Wan sipped his tea. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask. How did you start this place?”

“Nothing exciting I’m afraid.” Qui-Gon smiled, thinking of his previous life. “I started in finance of all things, but I couldn’t keep up with the demands. When I tried, I lost myself in the never-ending paperwork and crushing hours. And then Tahl ran into difficulties running his place by herself and jokingly offered me a job as a delivery boy. I think I surprised us both when I took it. A few years ago, I bought half of the store and she was able to semi-retire.”

Obi-Wan twisted his mug in his hands smiling to himself as he listened. They sat in comfortable silence until the grave blanket client came to pick up their arrangement.

Obi-Wan slipped out the back door, “I have something I have to do tomorrow, but I’ll see you Friday okay?”

Qui-Gon waived in return, “I look forward to it.” 

“He likes you, Qui-Gon.” Tahl teased and Qui-Gon blushed. They had finally finished packing up the funeral clients truck with their order and had started preparing the next morning’s early requests.

“He’s just being kind, Tahl. There’s no way he could be interested. Besides, he’s still in love with his ex.”

She hummed, “If you’re sure.”

Qui-Gon had to be sure. It was the only way his heart would survive, even as he put aside another loving red rose for Obi-Wan’s next visit.

Friday afternoon Obi-Wan slipped into the shop. Qui-Gon couldn’t stop the ache in his heart when he saw the small, confident smile on Obi-Wan’s face. 

They ended up standing side by side at the counter while Qui-Gon inventoried the ribbons and bows, their arms brushing comfortably as he counted.

“I made you something.” Obi-Wan’s smile grew as he lifted a small bundle from his coat, the light smell of flowers and wet earth filling the air.

“Um, I know you don’t need more flowers, but I saw these and thought of you.” Obi-Wan held out a small, handmade bouquet of wildflowers. It was filled with brilliant blue salvia and deep purple lavender interspersed with rich greens. Qui-Gon grinned, wondering if Obi-Wan realized the “thinking of you” meaning behind the salvia and white clover, and the lavender's “devotion”. Qui-Gon did know he blushed even deeper, recognizing a few purple lilacs spattered throughout, a small flower easily hidden among the others, representing the first blooms of love.

“So, I um, have a confession to make.” Obi-Wan said, twisting his mug in his hands.

“Oh?”

“I might have spent some time looking up the meaning of flowers. After you gave me the wedding bouquet. And the crown and your other gifts.”

Qui-Gon’s face fell. He knew he had been too bold, weaving his feelings into the flower crown, and again in the small flowers and gifts he had given Obi-Wan over the past few weeks. 

“And, I want you to know, I love you too.” Obi-Wan reached up, pulling Qui-Gon in for a kiss. 

As he pulled Obi-Wan closer and deepened the kiss, holding the little bundle of wildflowers, Qui-Gon knew their possibilities were endless, bright and golden in the evening sun. 


End file.
